Lori Alexander works at her dispatcher station in a secure area of the Judicial & Law Enforcement Center, 111 E. 11th St., in this 2009 file photo. Douglas County Administrator Craig Weinaug said Friday he’s recommending the city of Lawrence and Douglas County come up with $7 million in the near future to help the center that handles 911 calls and other emergency communications meet new federal technology standards.

Lawrence High guard KJ Pritchard (14) blows past the Olathe South defense and flips the ball off the backboard for two points during Lawrence High’s game against Olathe South Friday, Jan. 13, 2012 in Olathe.

Revelers celebrate the end of prohibition in Chicago. The Watkins Community Museum of History will host a "Speakeasy Night," a fundraiser celebrating the free-wheeling 1920s.

Associated Press

State Reps. TerriLois Gregory, R-Baldwin City, and Connie O'Brien, R-Tonganoxie, are among 25 members of the Kansas House backing a measure introduced by pro-life group Personhood Kansas to outlaw abortion.

LaVell Winsor is pictured with her husband, Andy Winsor, and their 1-year-old son, Brayden, on Friday on their farm outside of Grantville. LaVell is one of several women in the state who participate in CommonGround, a woman-to-woman group that works to dispel misconceptions about farming. Winsor would like others to understand her belief that the overwhelming majority of farming in the country is done by family operations rather than corporations.

Jacob Gillespie, 12, shapes a clay vessel at the Lawrence Arts Center in a Sculpting with Clay class in this Aug. 2011 file photo. Gov. Sam Brownback on Thursday proposed providing $200,000 for the arts, but arts supporters said the measure was inadequate and didn’t make up for his veto of arts funding last year.

Traffic and pedestrians move about Massachusetts Street in this Aug. 2011 file photo. Businesses began filling up vacant spaces in many parts of Lawrence in 2011, but downtown Lawrence wasn’t necessarily one of them. A new study by the Lawrence office of Colliers International found the city’s overall retail, office and industrial vacancy rates all fell in 2011, and all were significantly less than national averages.

The Eudora United Methodist Church held a live nativity Dec. 4. From left are Chris Ellis, Ryan Plate, Mike Boring, Todd Stauffer, Mary Diehl-Fisher, Erin Stauffer and Becky Barrera. Connie Meyers submitted the photo.